A sperm donor claiming to have fathered more than 180 children across multiple countries has lost his High Court challenge to be legally recognized as the father of a child conceived through his donation.
Donor’s Background
Robert Albon, a mid-50s unregulated donor from the United States known online as “Joe Donor,” began offering his services on social media in 2013. He moved to England in 2020 and has fathered children as far away as Argentina and Australia. Albon has appeared on television discussing his decade-long involvement in sperm donation.
Details of the Conception
In 2019, the child’s mother entered a relationship with a cisgender woman who later identified as transgender and transitioned to male. The partner researched donors and selected Albon. He visited their home for the first donation, receiving £100, which did not result in pregnancy.
A second donation, compensated with a £150 Amazon gift card, led to conception. The mother informed Albon of the birth in 2021 but stated it would be their final contact. The mother’s former partner was listed as the father on the birth certificate. The couple separated in 2023, and police were notified of the inaccurate registration but took no action.
Previous Court Case
In May 2024, a family court in Middlesbrough reviewed arrangements for another child, CA, born in early 2023 after her mother contacted Albon. Mr Justice Poole denied Albon’s requests for more contact or placement, stating he “lacks empathy” and “seeks to control others.” The judge noted, “The evidence before the court shows that Albon will have sex with, or provide his sperm for artificial insemination, to just about anyone who asks.”
High Court Ruling
Albon sought a paternity declaration for the child, known as N, in London’s High Court last October. In a judgment published today, Sir Andrew McFarlane dismissed the application, ruling it contrary to public policy.
Sir Andrew referenced Mr Justice Poole’s findings, describing Albon as “not a man troubled by self-doubt” who leaves “personal turmoil in the wake of his intervention in the lives of, often, very vulnerable women.” He added that granting the declaration would unsettle the mother, as she would never know when Albon might reappear.
The judge concluded, based on prior judicial findings, “there is no indication that Albon’s behaviour is governed by any recognised moral principles.” He emphasized the case’s extreme nature, involving donation on an unprecedented scale, and confirmed the mother’s former partner is not N’s father.
Legal Response
Connie Atkinson, family law partner at Kingsley Napley who represented the mother, stated: “We are extremely pleased with the court’s decision not to grant a declaration of parentage in Mr Albon’s favour. Whilst he is the biological father, it would not have been appropriate for him to assert himself as a legal parent or exercise any rights flowing from that.”
